Book picks similar to
The Rivalry by Van Cole


mm-romance
sports
m-m-m
brett-s-next-books

Double Full


Kindle Alexander - 2013
    However, interference after the play has him hiding his past and burying his future in the bottom of a bottle. While Colt seems to have it all, looks can be deceiving especially when you're trapped so far in a closet that you can't see your way out. When ten years of living his expected fast-lane lifestyle lands him engaged to his manipulative Russian supermodel girlfriend, he decides it's time to call a new play. Jace Montgomery single-handedly built the largest all-star cheerleading gym in the world, driven by a need to forget a life-altering encounter with a handsome quarterback a decade ago. His reputation as an excellent coach, hard-nosed business man, and savvy entrepreneur earned him respect in the sometimes catty world of competitive cheerleading. When Jace learns of his ex-lover's plans to marry, his heart executes a barrel roll and his carefully placed resolve tumbles down without a mat to absorb the shock. Can his island escape help him to finally let go of the past and move his life forward?

The Blueprint


S.E. Harmon - 2018
    He has friends, a wonderful family, and a great job. But his love life has reached a new level of pitiful. Why? Well, his heart decided to break all the rules. Don’t fall in love with a straight guy. And definitely don’t fall in love with your best friend.NFL standout Britton “Blue” Montgomery has pressure coming at him from all sides. From his father, who’s only interested in Blue’s football career. From his coaches, who just want him to play without getting injured again. From the fans. From his agent. And from his mother, who has popped up on the radar after leaving his family years before. And now his relationship with Kelly is on shaky ground, and that frightens Blue more than anything.When Kelly admits he’s in love with Blue, bonds are tested, and Blue has to decide what’s really important. He doesn’t want to lose the number-one person in his life, but the cost to keep Kelly close might be more than he’s willing to pay.It’s a good thing his nickname is the Blueprint—it’s time to draft a new set of plans.

Bromosexual


Daryl Banner - 2017
    And he's about to ruin my life. With his backwards cap, lopsided grin, and ripped bod gifted from the gods, he struts around town like he owns it.But I won’t let him own me, no matter how hot he's gotten over the past eight years since he went off to become a pro baseball player in the major leagues - and since we had our brutal falling out and everything fell apart.When a hard night lands him at my front doorstep - desperately in need of a place to stay - I get one look into those fierce blue eyes of his ... and realize our story is far from over.My former "bro" and I are about to define a whole new term for the steamy, beautiful mess that's destined to happen between the two of us.* This is a stand-alone, angsty, slow-burn M/M romance with a guaranteed HEA and no cheating.BONUS CONTENT: Your special Kindle edition also comes with TWO complimentary male/male novellas! After you read Bromosexual, you can enjoy two books from the Brazen Boys series: "All Yours Tonight" and "On The Edge"

Touchdown


Ashlyn Hope - 2017
    Especially relationships. On most days, Pro feels like she can't get a win. She's all alone in the big city and fighting to keep her business afloat while trying to find love, and none of these things are going her way. But Pro finally catches a break right before she was going to throw in the towel. She takes herself out to bask in her small success, but her celebration gets sacked when she catches her new guy out on the town with another girl! Hurt, upset, and a hot mess, this is when Pro bumps into David. Kind, considerate, and absolutely massive, David plays for a local professional football team. Nicknamed "Meat Mountain," he's huge everywhere and has rich brown eyes, a chiseled face, and a heart of gold. It looks like Pro is finally going to score and land the man of her dreams. Will this be one for the win column? Or will Pro need to go back to the playbook and start from scratch?

Trouble On Top


Billie Bloom - 2021
    Oh, and did I mention he’s replacing me as goalie for the MU hockey team?Everyone wants him, myself included, but he’s pure trouble…If only I had the willpower to say no to him.ParkerGrayson’s finally noticing me and it’s not just because of my hockey prowess. He can deny me all he wants, but I can see the truth in his eyes and taste it on his tongue when I finally break down his walls. What’s life without a little risk?Previously published as, The Rulebreaker; This is a short novella

Breakaway


Ali Parker - 2016
    He’s hard-hitting, rough and puts up with very little. He’s kept to himself throughout his years at Providence University, but it’s time to train the next man up in line for his position. His second on the Hockey team has a twin sister that catches everyone’s eye and leaves most of the guys acting like idiots, but Lucas isn’t interested. Girls are too needy, too catty and a pain in butt. Plain and simple. Aubrey Moore’s had her eye on the captain of the hockey team for the last few years since her brother, Jayce joined the team. He’s known for being a complete jerk, but Aubrey’s had the pleasure of seeing around the edges of his personality and wants to know him more. Now she just has to figure out how to help him breakaway from being so jaded and join her in the best adventure anyone could embark on -love. 18+ Explicit sexual content, possible foul language and violence. **HEA - these novels are all within the Pro-U series, but are about different couples at the university and should stand-alone.

Keeping Casey


Amy Aislin - 2021
    The list-maker. The one who micromanages his own life.Spontaneously offering to be his best friend’s fake boyfriend to get Ethan’s annoying team captain off his back?That’s not thinking things through. It’s not even smart given Casey’s been fighting his feelings for Ethan for years.Ethan Rain just wants to play hockey and get his college degree. Adding a fake boyfriend to the mix? He doesn’t need that complication.If Casey were his real boyfriend, though? If he got to keep Casey forever? Now we’re talking.But what if Casey doesn’t want to be kept?

#Junkie


Cambria Hebert - 2016
    Check out the full feature article inside…** This book contains an M/M romance relationship. **

Don't You Dare


C.E. Ricci - 2022
    A dare. A single kiss.That’s all it took to flip my world upside down.I’ve always classified myself as straight, and as far as I can tell, so has he.I didn’t think one kiss would change that, but I was so wrong.Now, I can’t stop thinking about him. In all the ways I shouldn’t.My best friend.Aspen.His taste is branded in my memory, his touch seared in my skin.And I want more.This simmering attraction I feel only grows with passing time.Which is why I start tossing out new dares.Riskier ones that toe lines we never thought we’d cross.I’m gambling with our friendship, knowing it could ruin us.But there’s so much more at stake here.Like my heart.*Don't You Dare is a new adult college romance featuring two best friends, too many baseball puns, scorching dirty talk, and a whole lot of bi-curious exploration. Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age.*

About Last Knight


Michaela Cole - 2021
    Wants to finish high school as peacefully as possible. No angst, no drama, play soccer, make some new friends.As one of the only hipster-clothes-wearing, luxury-vehicle-driving teenagers in a sea of plaid, camouflage, and loud souped up trucks, he unfortunately sticks out like a sore thumb at Knoxton Falls High School.Lucky for him, he’s a handsome, fun-loving guy with a heart of gold that everyone warms up to quickly. Well, almost everyone… but Dacen’s not one to back down from a challenge.And when that challenge comes in the form of one hot boy with the body of a god and the lips of a sinner? That drama-free senior year goes up in a pouf of smoke before it even begins.~*~Ryne Sutton: Grouchy. Aloof. Sexy but kind of a jerk. These are the words most people would use to describe him. And that’s the way he’d like to keep it.He’s spent nearly half his life keeping his shields up, and has no plans of removing them now. His priority is a kick-ass soccer season and preparing for a future in the sport.Then the new guy crosses his path at tryouts and repeatedly afterwards. He doesn’t like him, wants nothing to do with him, yet can’t help watching for Becker around every corner.Even if it’s just to give him a few verbal punches and scorching glares, Ryne’s empty shell of a heart flickers whenever he’s near.-------------Content warning: This book contains explicit sexual content and is intended for readers 18+.

Winging It


Ashlyn Kane - 2015
    It doesn’t include being the first out hockey player or, worse, getting involved with one of his teammates. But things change.Dante Baltierra is Gabe’s polar opposite—careless, reckless… shameless. But his dedication to the sport is impressive, and Gabe can overlook a lot of young-and-stupid in the name of great hockey. And Dante has a superlative ass in a sport filled with superlative asses.Before Gabe can figure out how to deal, a tabloid throws him out of his comfortable closet into a brand-new world. Amid the emotional turmoil of invasive questions, nasty speculation, and on- and off-ice homophobia, his game suffers. Surprisingly, it’s Dante who drags him out of it—and then drags him into something else. Nothing good can come of secretly sleeping with a teammate, especially one Gabe has feelings for. But with their captain out with an injury, a rookie in perpetual need of a hug, and the race to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995, Gabe has a lot on his plate. He can’t be blamed for forgetting that nothing stays secret forever.

Buzz


E. Davies - 2015
    Cam can't hide his past – especially when his heart racing is a big risk, and boy, does his new boss's nephew make his heart race. Noah's exactly the kind of guy Cam needs after his hellish ex.“I want to do something new.”Art curator Noah Clark is glad his beekeeping uncle hired this hunk. Cameron is a sweet, smart bad boy. Noah works hard, like organizing a hockey-themed art exhibition, and he wants to let himself love hard. Noah's busy life would be perfect with Cameron, but what's his new lover hiding?“Tell me why you've been watching me.”Pitting Cam's budding relationship with sweet Noah against millions of bucks, Cam is offered a lot of money to abandon his new priorities: life, love, and family. The game of their lives is on the line. And after all's said and done, is it too late for Noah to forgive Cam for his partial truths?

Open Ice Hit


E.M. Lindsey - 2021
    That’s not what the game means to him. And he especially can’t stand the Sea Dog’s new rookie, Tommy Tremblay. After all, Tommy’s the sort of player that gets under Vicki's skin.He’s reckless.He’s wild.And he won’t take anything seriously.But when a chance meeting during the offseason shows Vicki what a good boy Tommy can be for him, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep seeing him as the bad guy. After all, how can he hate the only man who has ever made him feel worthy?Tommy is tired of Vicki’s stuck-up, holier-than-thou attitude. He’s fought hard to get where he is, and he’s not going to let some tightly wound guy make him feel like he doesn’t deserve his hard-won success.So, he can’t explain why they keep falling into bed together, or why he’s starting to fall for the man he’s supposed to hate.They both know this shouldn’t work, but the more they try to push each other away, the more their souls seem to connect. The question is, will they find a way for their hearts to be vulnerable and let love in?Open Ice Hit is a steamy MM romance set between the fictional NHL teams of the Brooklyn Phantoms and the Queens Sea Dogs. It contains hate that might not quite be hate, team as found family, sick goals from soft hands, some really stinky marine animals, praise kink a mile wide, and an unexpected journey that might just be worth taking.

Wild Pitch


Sloan Johnson - 2015
    The day he acknowledged to himself that he was gay was also the day he vowed to stay in the closet in order to chase his dreams. The problem is, he never counted on Mason Atley.Sean showed rookie short stop Mason Atley the ropes, both on the field and off. The two forged a friendship which continued as both of them moved through the ranks of the farm system and into the majors. Unfortunately, there’s always been one secret Mason never felt he could share with Sean. Until now.For seven years, Sean lived with the fact that he loved a man who would never reciprocate. When Mason admits that he’s always known he’s bisexual but has never allowed himself to pursue a relationship with a man, will Sean be able to put aside his reservations about starting a relationship with the friend he’d always assumed was straight? And more importantly, will they be able to find a way to stay together when their careers keep them apart more than they can be together?

My Hero


Max Vos - 2013
    Little did he know that years later, as a senior in college and Olympic diving hopeful, Rich would meet up once again with Johnny Milloway, now a big football player – and when Rich says big, he really means ‘bear’. The shy jock remembers his savior, and the two men become friends. Johnny isn’t put off by the fact that Rich is gay. In fact, the more time he spends with Rich, the more curious he becomes. Johnny wants to know all kinds of things – what it’s like to kiss a guy, for instance. Only it doesn’t stop there…Rich finds it difficult to believe that this relationship can go anywhere. Johnny is straight, and Rich isn’t prepared to deal with the heartache he knows will come his way in the future. He has enough on his plate as it is – the Worlds are just around the corner, his father would rather watch a football game than spend time watching his son dive…. What he doesn’t count on is Johnny, who can be very determined. And having Johnny in his life proves to be a catalyst for some pretty earth-shattering changes.